James Beaton

Music Arranger

A native of the Bronx, JAMES BEATON is an award-winning composer, music director and pianist living in Portland, Oregon.  After graduating from The Evergreen State College, he toured and recorded extensively with the rock band Everclear, with numerous appearances on film and television, before co-founding the notorious cabaret band The Balls.  With Storm Large, his collaborator for the past 15 years, James composed and music directed Crazy Enough, which debuted in 2009 at Portland Center Stage with further productions in Australia and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Since 2010, they have premiered new works annually with the Oregon Symphony. In 2014, James was nominated for a Drammy for the musical direction of rock opera LIZZIE.  Current projects include composing THE EVERLEIGH CLUB, with Ms. Large and Rinna Groff and a new musical for Portland Center Stage’s Northwest Stories series.